New Sunsphere lounge hopes to bring big city feel to Knoxville

A project 16 months in the making is finally finished, and Wednesday, we were invited inside. The Icon Ultra Lounge opened two weeks ago.

It's a new lounge located on the fifth floor inside the Sunsphere. It previously held The Blue Room, which was a lounge that hosted the likes of President Ronald Reagan and Boxer Sugar Ray Leonard during the 1982 World's Fair.

The developer said he wanted to bring a big city feel back to Knoxville while utilizing space in one of Knoxville's most iconic buildings.

"The structure was built in 1981-1982. I wanted to create a kind of big city loungy atmosphere that you might find in New York City or Las Vegas or something like that," said Developer Tony Cappiello.

The bar itself is focusing on international beers. If you want a Budweiser, you'll have to go someplace else. The only exception is Knoxville's SawWorks, which is included in the list of beers on tap.